Hayao Miyazaki to start work on Porco Rosso sequel?

Studio Ghibli to announce mystery project

Beloved animation house Studio Ghibli is set to announce a new production on December 15 - possibly a sequel to 1992 hit Porco Rosso .

The studio behind such classics as Princess Monokoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle and My Neighbour Totoro already have two films on their slate, The Borrower Arrietty , and The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter .

Although a successful studio with critics and fans, the expensive animation process has led to recent fears that Ghibli would be unable to continue producing films.

This announcement seems like a clear indication that they intend to persevere, and will come as welcome relief for fans.

In a recent interview with Slash Film, famed Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki expressed his desire to follow up his 1992 box-office smash hit Porco Rosso - about an ace fighter pilot cursed with the features of a pig.

Speaking about the financial difficulties surrounding the studio, Miyazaki claimed that two successful films would mean that he could start work on his sequel.

With The Borrower Arrietty - an adaptation of classic tale The Borrowers - not in cinemas til next year, and The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter still in production it is too early to be certain of their success, but perhaps the films have done enough to persuade the money men to let Miyazaki loose.

When a studio as famed as Ghibli is desperate for a hit, they can do worse than giving their Academy Award-winning, box office record-breaking talisman the freedom to make his pet project.